Official Sony VAIO F Series i5/i7 owners thread *Part 3*

Yes. I decided to get the European model after some research(here and youtube). The rubber palm rest tells you that it is a European and a plastic one is from the US. Mine is an European model but with US keyboard, but i wondered why it is not a backlit version.

Many of you guys called the F series a budget/value laptop. I was quite unhappy about the pricing because i paid a lot more than those who bought from the US.(mine about 2.8kUSD) Now i am convinced the premium paid is well worth it.

I think Sony uses low quality screens in the US version. Anyway, the return policy in the US lets you choose whether to keep it am i right? We don't have such privilege in Singapore.

However i am not too amazed like somebody mentioned "images almost popping out" or something. Just a normal LCD screen to me.

I took a quick picture of my screen with black background and something in the middle. Almost zero bleeding.

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/171/img1935m.jpg

 

Correct me if im wrong but don't most screens have some kind of bleed? Even envy has it

 

You are right. But it has come to a point when the bleeding becomes too obvious, irritating or even one feels cheated for buying a defective NEW laptop.

 

Basically, people are disappointed because this screen belongs in a $500 HP dv7t, not a $1400-2000 Sony Vaio F series.

I agree with them. Honestly, I kept hearing about how high-quality Sony was and how finely engineered their machines were, and while I DO like my Vaio F overall, I was shocked how un-Apple it was.

But it's not so bad that I'd expect this quality in a $300 eMachine. For one, it's a 1920x1080 screen.

At the end of the day, it's a cheap laptop. You see the price on an i7 laptop lately? The Lenovo W701s cost about $2000, the envys cost more, the g73 costs more, and the macbook pro also costs quite a bit more.

Now, what I'd like to see is someone give out the part # for the matte "premium euro LCD" that everyone keeps wanting.

 

Oh and here's the part # for the 1600xx900 :
Sharp LQ164D1LD4A 16.4'' WXGA++ replacement LCD screen (Glossy) - $280.95USD : Notebook Solutions, Parts, Service & Support

Here's an alternate LG 16.4", also 1600x900 though
http://www.papatek.com/Panel-164-Inch/LG-LP164WD1-TLA1-16.4-inch-LCD-Screen.html

 

Why does the EC have an ATI HD 5650 option while the F has a 330M option?

And since they can offer an i7-840 on the F as an option, couldn't they have done the same with an 335M? or a ATI HD 5850? To let those who want to pay make their laptop more powerful?

 

Unless someone here works for Sony, nobody really knows. You could say the F is supposed to be a mobile workstation, but then it would be fitted with stuff like a fingerprint reader and higher quality screen.. soo it's not that.

 

The GPU is a component that is built into the motherboard. Sony likely has MBs stocked for these computers. They couldn't possibly stock one for every GPU chip imaginable. Therefore, you usually have little if any choice in what GPU you get for a given laptop model. This goes for any manufacturer. Besides, why allow a better GPU on a more budget line laptop when you can reserve it for your top of the line series?

 

I'm asking b/c the EC is cheaper than the F, and is limited from having a CPU as powerful as the F, is limited from having a display resolution as high as the F, and other limits in configuration. Therefore it would seem the EC is a lower series in the lineup than F the same way F is lower in the lineup to Z.

So why does the series which has less in every way but display size, also get a better GPU option? In fact even the top of the line Z has a 330M, a GPU that is inferior to the ATI HD 5650 you can get in the EC. Doesn't seem like a decision that makes sense. That is why I am asking.

 

Er, no. That IS the 1920x1080 screen. The gloss version. Sad, no?

As to the other comments, I really can't believe them. The images are *not* over-exposed - I exposed for the foreground (the laptop) rather than the background, where the sun was landing.

I added in the other laptop as a side-by-side comparison. Whatever holds true of one, is true of the other. There is NO angle without some bleed. There is one angle where it starts to get "OK" but it is, oddly, slightly tilted back form the parallel, leaving you looking at a rhombus shaped screen.

Could you guys help me out? Are there any examples of this "non-full RGB" screen that DOES NOT illicit this bleeding? I think the only way they'll take a refund is if I show it as defective.

I bought the £1195 xxxxM0E version, and I'm told the only 'deal' they can offer for me is £50 off the £1649 version if i return the one I have. Otherwise I have to lump it. Absolutely SHOCKING.

 

I just noticed something very, very weird.

I recall someone talking about how if you hold ctrl, the fan slows down to a very low speed. If you do that in Everest you can hear the fan slow down but the RPMs shoot up!

 

There is an app for that: Auto Disable Mouse Touchpad When Typing
touchfreeze - Project Hosting on Google Code

 

Has anyone managed to break their power jack yet. I have and i got a quote from the sony repair centre. Apparently replacing this simple power jack is gonna cost me more than $400 :S

Thats a quarter of what this frikin laptop cost me! What do i do

 

What! Are they going to replace the entire motherboard or what? And i thought the jack is sturdy enough and not cause any problems. How did you break it?

How old is the laptop? Not sure its the same for yours but the first year warranty includes accidental coverage.

 

I was under the impression the power jack was a module and not the motherboard itself

 

Joe,

I'll run the requested tests and post my numbers. Of course, anything under the max spec'ed operating temperature will be acceptable, right?

A user on this board drew attention to his F12 heating up to 97C and instead of acknowledging the issue you first blamed it on user error, suggesting he overclocked something and then followed it up with this gem:


"Again: maximum operating temperatures: 100c for the CPU and 105c for the GPU. So while uselessly hot, your system is not @ the max yet."

So, yes, I'll let you know whether my new laptop is "uselessly hot" and if it comes in at anything below max spec temp I'll reference your original posting.

I'll see you over on the E17 board I guess. Where one can find you taking jabs at quality control and heat issues in a facetious troll like fashion.

 

Dear fellow F11-F12 users,
I don't like this fighting with Joe Bleau on this forum.
Joe has in my opinion contributed more then anyone else in the F11/F12 thread and deserves some respect.
We can all disagree, but please keep it polite.

 

I honestly dont know why they are charging that much. The jack isn't completely broken as in i can still plug it in and it works.

What actually broke was the little black plastic bit that the pin would go inside. I dont see how something like that is gonna cost >$400 and i'm not sure if international warranty covers accidental since this is the US Vaio in Australia...

 

Hmm seems like only the US VAIO F are suffering from the screen problems.. as posted previously (KenQuek's post), the European screens doesn't look bad, and neither does my Asian VAIO F suffer from light bleed, bad contrast and viewing angle, etc. The only problem is it being slightly dimmer than other laptop screens when at max brightness

 

100+ temps are WAY, WAY out of normal bounds for this machine.

Anyway, yes the power jack is a part (module.. probably a little box with a cable coming out of it), and not a part of the motherboard:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/att...eries-owners-lounge-part-2-f11-under-kb-1.jpg

Looks like you don't even have to take the machine apart, just the speaker grille.

Edit: Here's your dang power jack.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DC-Power-Jack-S...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255b6f8957

(that MAY be talking about VGN-F and not VPC-F)

It costs $5 XD

And if you can't solder (I Know I wouldn't trust my soldering), there's the ones with pigtail too..

http://cgi.ebay.com/OEM-Sony-Vaio-H...ultDomain_0&hash=item48376220be#ht_1514wt_879

Question is whether you can use the FW power jack on an F.. probably (don't take my word for it!)

 

Wow, thanks

I got to opening this darn thing and only got as far as in your picture. Bit scared to go opening it any further as i dont know what goes where and how and whatnot

 

Mine (as posted above) is EU bought - Bristol in the UK to be precise.

 

Gandalf,

The emperor has no clothes.

 

Phil,

Yes you are correct. EU screens are dual CCFL backlit, brighter and display a wider gamut of colors. Sony has chosen to make available to the US market, only dimly lit single CCFL screens while describing them as premium.

Some on this board were so satisfied with this "industry leading viewing experience" that they gutted their laptops and manually installed EU spec screens.

 

It's hard to tell if this is widespread and severe considering the same 3-4 people are the ones complaining about it. If it truly is that bad then fine w/e ill go get a envy 15 or something. Of course there's also the possibility I'll get a perfectly normal screen like other people

 

But man does he look good in it

 

I've checked but couldn't find any info about it? Can you help me I'm willing to buy this one:

VPCF12S1E

VPCF12S1E/B (VPCF12S1E/B) : Technische Daten : VAIO & weitere Computerprodukte : Sony

 

I find it a bit unfair that Joe is the sole person being criticised. While there are plenty of times where I disagree with him, the fact is that on the screen issue, I have been posting in the same manner he has.

I will absolutely agree that my F11 does NOT have a great viewing angle. My wife has a Dell e1505 that has a great viewing angle. My kids' Acer Extensa 5620 has a much better viewing angle than the F11. My old Dell premium stand-alone display has a tremendous viewing angle compared to the F11.

However, my F11 display is sharper, has better contrast and better color rendition (once calibrated...the factory calibration was too bluish and the tans were washed out, plus the reds were entirely oversaturated) than all 3 of these monitors I can currently compare.

Again, if you have truly terrible light bleed, I would call it a defect. However, I have a perfect screenfrom my normal viewing position with the screen tilted so that it points to the top of my head (not my eyes). My side to side movement looks good for at least 12" in either direction and my vertical movement causes washout to begin at a fairly narrow 6" in either direction. Basically, my eyes have to stay within about a 1.5 to 2 square foot window or I will see light bleed, color washout, etc. At 30 degrees off center, I will definitely begin to see my black screen as a light blue and my icons will all have an inverted (negative) color to them. By 45 degrees, my screen looks sky blue instead of black.

While I understand that these observations are not nearly as good as other screens in my house, I also guarantee that my screen looks excellent from my normal viewing area, and I can move my head, shift my position, sneeze, etc. without being blinded by a washed out, light bleeding LCD display.

One more thing...I calibrated my monitor for color, hue and contrast. I did not leave my brightness settings as calibrated, however. I will say that when working with photos, I turn my screen brightness to 79%, where the calibration says it should be. Normally, and with all of the pictures I have posted, the screen brightness is at 100%. If I had a light bleed problem, you would know it!

I have not seen your screens (the bad ones) and it is very possible that you have received a poor one. However...to come here and complain that all of the US sold F11/F12 screens are terrible is wrong. You can tell us that you received a poor screen, and show us your results. If I see correct viewing angles and good photo techniques, I will agree. But I will always disagree with a blanket statement that all F11 screens are junk. It simply is not true.

One other thing...if you can see your own reflection on the screen when taking a picture, there are two problems. First, the viewing angle is not set correctly. You should see a reflection of what is just slightly over your head and behind you. Second, you have an external light issue. Right now I have sunlight streaming into my room through a window to the side of me. My screen looks very good, but if I took a picture, the light hitting the semi-gloss screen would definitely skew the picture's image. In other words, the image captured would not be a true representation of the screen. This would be lessened if the screen was matte, and would be accented if the screen was MORE glossy (such as the screen on my kids' Acer). This screen is a good mix for me...it is glossy enough to give better color and contrast than a matte screen, yet the gloss is not AS glossy as many screens, making it better (in my opinion) than many glossy screens for well lit areas.

Just my opinion.

 

Gosh my head hurts with reading all this hogwash... what is going on here people. Seriously if you don't have anything helpful to contribute GO AWAY!!!!

I know Joe can be sarcastic and annoying at times, but it is only in circumstances where even I have gone DOH! At least he has contributed a lot of help and answered a lot of questions. What have you done so far???(other than just pass useless commentary)

Also please folks quit asking which model do ya think etc.. there have been 100 such questions in the last 100 pages, please read those first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to answer a question just not one asked 40 times already. If you have in depth questions we are all extremely happy to help.

 

Did you click on the "search this thread" and enter in your model VPCF12S1E?
there are several posts discussing this model and quotes from people who already bought it. Please read those and if you have any specific questions come back and ask again

 

Today my backlit keyboard from China arrived. I have a european model and now I want to replace it. Recently ViperRS posted here that it is working. Now I'm wondering how to replace it. What are the necessary steps to do? What screws do I have to loose and what cables I have to connect. ViperRS if your reading this, pls help me out

 

I doubt it, the FW's hinges and power jack were infamous. The F is all new.

 

I just recently purchased an f11 with a GT 330m however for some reason when I play h264 video it doesn't seem to be offloading it to the GPU. I get CPU spikes when the screen gets busy with a lot of particle effects. Started using XBMC (which uses DXVA) as my player but it still seems to be relying on the CPU rather then the GPU. I downloaded the latest drivers (directly from nvidia) a couple of weeks ago as well but it doesn't seemed to have helped. Any pointers?

 

The F's one-lamp screen is not "dim." It's bright enough to damage your eyes. Turn off auto-brightness. A matrix lit by two lamps is the same brightness but allows for a wider viewing angle, since the wider the view angle the greater the light loss.

I have the bad screen with inversion and shading, and the display is wonderful for everything I do on it: bright, accurate, and very sharp. Yes it's impossible to get a perfect angle when viewing movies.

 

Have you tried using VLC to play the content? I find that the best, as it integrates all the codecs. If it still doesn't do it, there is a DirectX option in VLC that ought to force it GPU side.

 

Yes I tried forcing Direct X using VLC and it still relies on the CPU. I think I am going to try and reinstall the drivers one more time when I get home today and see if I can get it to work.

 

It's nothing to do with DirectX, that's for gaming. To activate hardware H264 support you need to purchase and install Purevideo 4. And only Media Player, Arcsoft, Cyberlink, and Corel WinDVD support Purevideo. You have to have one of those players PLUS PV4 to use the GT330 for decoding Mpeg4, thus removing the load from the CPU. A software codec, any codec, will only ever use the CPU.

 

Are you talking about the female power plug in the laptop? Could you post a photo of what is broken exactly?

You could follow the first 5 steps here (link also in my sig) & find an electronic repairman for the soldering if you are not good at it: Vaio F_Series Laptop How To Replace the LCD Display & Inverter.



Be careful, the speaker is easy to nick:

 

can anyone please tell me if it is possible to recover the bios after a bad flash? i am not able to boot now and need some help very urgent. thanks in advance

 

My motorcycle has a top speed of 276 kmh & the red line on the rpm meter is @ 12,000 rpm. Does that mean that I can ride for 3 hours near those operating limits w/o any consequences?

If all the F users that ran the CPU +GPU stress tests I suggested reported max temperatures in the 80c range or lower & one reports that when playing game X his GPU shows 97c, then one can presume that he is doing something different than all the other users.

What's wrong in reporting the component manufacturer's maximum operating temperatures & saying that while within specs it should not be so hot?

 

If the flash failure happened while using the Sony GUI flash utility while doing the recommended BIOS update to supposedly solve a thermal management problem, then Sony will probably fix it under warranty. Otherwise, no, there's no recovery, unlike many desktop motherboards with a built-in default BIOS to allow for failure of the flash BIOS.

 

Could you give more details? What model # exactly & how did you manage to mess it up as the steps are pretty straight forward?

Was your model listed in the esupport page as needing the BIOS update?

 

Partial quote from Nvidia description of card:
"The GT330M supports the hardware decoding of HD videos using the integrated PureVideo HD engine. The integrated VP4 video processor is able to fully decode H.264...". Wikipedia ( Nvidia PureVideo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) seems to suggest it should work with Media Player without having to purchase anything. It looks like you need to buy the Purevideo 4 if you want MPEG2 decoding on the card but it sounds like the H264 support should already work as long as you use Media Player or other product that supports Purevideo, or am I confused?

I think I'll end up buying the Gold version if I have any DVD or video playback issues.

 

My model is VPCF11JFX and listed in esupport page. While updating the BIOS through auto update I shutdown by mistake (I was just plain stupid) and now it is not booting. Is there no way to reflash the bios through USB or CD-rom? Otherwise the only option seems to be to get it probably fixed under warranty.

 

@Joe Bleau
@Melody Master

Would a CMOS Battery reset be worth a try in this situation?

 

I guess you missed the red Warning!! on the BIOS update download page:



Basically: plug it, don't turn it off, don't do anything while it's doing it's thing & just click Install.

I don't see why Sony_should pay for the repair and possibly replace the motherboard for free as you did not follow their instructions which was clearly stated on the download page. Maybe out of good will?

You are right, if possible, one way would be via CD or USB but the update version they posted is to be ran under Windows.

Why not call them & ask if they have a bootable CD version and report here to help other users?

Since you have nothing to loose, why not try resetting the CMOS:



*****

@ MelodyMaster: I remember you posted a procedure pressing some buttons in a certain way. It's possible that there is a BIOS backup & there could be a way to access it.

*****

Edit: @ To no End: I see that we were both typing the same CMOS reset suggestion @ the same time.

*****

 

A new F12 user here (VPCF12JFX/B). I just received mine a few hours ago. Was a little scared by all the posts concerning bad screens etc. Glad to report that mine (1600x900) screen has no such problems. Also the adapter is a ac19v45 (6.2 A). I'm off to uninstall all the bloatware and then calibrate colors etc. Any suggestions?

 

Well you found such a good and easy fix that it would be great if it solved more than one problem.

 

You could follow the first 3 steps here (link also in my sig) & just remove a few extra screws fastening the keyboard (if any as I did not removed it yet):

Vaio F_Series Laptop How To Replace the LCD Display & Inverter



Just note where the original keyboard wire is plugged & the other one for the LED should be easy to spot.

Mangosango had his defective US keyboard replaced under warranty, maybe he could chime in? MelodyMaster also removed his US keyboard for a thorough cleaning job.

Since I am using my F in harsh environments & hate keyboard skins, I also ordered a US backlit keyboard replacement on Fleabay for $35 including international shipping. I guess that after removing repeatedly the keys for cleaning, they may become loose or the paint may wear off, etc. I rather have it in hand now than wait for the day I need a replacement as they may become out-of-stock.

 

Just got my vaio, and my screen is great it's the 1080p US one - normal light at the bottom of course. Loving the speed!

1 question though, is there a way for chrome to display things a little bigger? I increased the font to medium in the Personalize section but chrome is still a little tiny.